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Is your stockpile overflowing? Do you have free pet food coupons but no pets? Have you ever wondered how you are going to use all that toothpaste before it expires? Well we have an answer for you. AFC is proud to provide its members with a way to help others and keep our stockpiles from taking over our home. This Operation Fill Their Cup will be the place for people to share and encourage the AFC community to donate, donate, and donate a little more. Many people are struggling, so as a community let's see what we can do to help out.

We are going to continually work on improving this list of information. If you have a suggestion, please post in Contact Us.

Please click on the following link for a list of general guidelines to keep in mind when donating.
General Guidelines to Keep in Mind When Donating:

Click on each place for a list of commonly accepted items.
• Pet Shelters/Vet Offices
• Battered Women's Shelter/Women's and Children Shelter
• Children's Hospitals
• Food Banks
• Nursing Homes/Sr Citizen Centers

The following is a list of general places that will typically collect donation for various charities in your area. Some will provide pick up services, but this depends on the group and the area.
General Organizations Who May Collect Donations

Now for a list of odds and ends items around your house that you could donate.
Other Items to Donate:

The following link provides a searchable database of a variety of charities. Fill free to search for charities in your area, but remember it is not limited to the ones listed.
Charity Finder

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General Guidelines to Keep in Mind When Donating:
• In order to reduce the possibility of getting your donation rejected by the charity, call and ask for any specific guidelines they have. They are always appreciative of a donation; however some have rules in place for the general safety of their clients. Try to respect these guidelines and do not get upset if something is turned down. Chances are there is another charity in your area that will accept the item.
• After all holidays, check the clearance merchandise. Some of the knick knack toys/candy go really cheap and can be donated to several places.
• Check expiration dates on foods/candy/HBA items before donating them. Be sure to allow for a couple months between the donation time and the expiration date.
• Use an online search engine to find websites of local shelters. Often times, there will be a wish list of items that are in high demand.
• Do not limit your donations to what is listed below. This is just to get you started and many times a local shelter may have a specific need for an item that is not listed.
• Charities will accept monetary donations and often times this is necessary for expensive items they may need.
• The easiest thing you can donate is your time. Several charities need help organizing events/drives and can always use a spare set of hands.

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Pet Shelter/Humane Society/Vet Offices/Pet Stores:
Our little furry friends can always use the items below to have a comfortable stay at the local shelters. Some local vet offices and pet stores will also collect items for the local shelters. Contact the store or office directly to see if they participate. Also keep in mind this is meant to give you ideas of things to donate. Your local shelter may have a specific need for something that is not listed below. Contact the shelter directly and they should be able to provide you with a list of specific items they need.

• Laundry Detergent
• Old rags and clothes for bedding
• Pet food
• Pet Treats
• Pet Toys
• Leashes
• Collars
• Paper Towels
• Pet Shampoo
• Flea Treatment
• Food Dishes
• Bleach
• Dish Detergent
• Lysol Wipes
• Latex Gloves
• Combs, brushes, lint rollers
• Trash bags
• Pet Carriers
• Pet Beds
• Cat Litter
• Heating pads
• Office Supplies
• Batteries

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Battered Women’s Shelter/Women’s and Children Shelter:
Check your area for local shelters. Depending on the type, the necessary donation list may vary.
• Office Supplies: These are typically used by the staff at the shelter to keep up on paperwork etc. Also used in classes for the women if they are offered at the shelter. This includes pens, pencils, paper, highlighters, post its, etc.
• Clothing – Kids and adult. Often the women leave with children that can range in age from infants to teenagers without anything but the clothes on their backs. Any and all clothing items are greatly appreciated. If the item is an undergarment, it is generally requested that the items be new in package.
• Craft Supplies/Toys – These are for the children who will be spending a lot of time at the shelter while their mom gets back on their feet.
• School Supplies – The children will need calculators, book bags, erasers, pens, pencils, folders, etc.
• Bedding
• Personal Hygiene items
• Food
• Household items – Pots, pans, utensils, cups, etc
• Health and beauty items
• Baby items and food

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Children’s Hospitals
Several of the children’s hospitals have gaming systems in the rooms. Before donating games, you will need to contact the hospital to determine what gaming system they have, if any.
• Toys – Typically no plush but depends on the type of hospital. Plush carries and holds germs and some children’s immune systems can not handle this. Toys that are easily washed (hard plastic) and not stained are usually preferred for the safety of the kids. Also many will not accept bubbles or bubble machines.
• Blankets – There are certain charities that will distribute blankets to sick children (Project Linus - Project Linus National Headquarters). Check with the individual group in your area to understand their specific guidelines.
• Beads – Many children’s cancer treatment hospitals have bead programs (often times referred to as bravery beads, beads of courage, or journey beads) for the children (beads of courage: how to help). After a round of treatment, they will get a bead to add to their necklace. This is to track their journey and a little treat to brighten their day. Each program for each specific hospital has slightly different needs. Contact the oncology floor of a children’s hospital for more information.
• Holiday Decorations – Some hospitals will accept the decorations to make the halls festive for children who must stay in the hospital over a holiday.
• Arts/Craft Supplies – Many of the hospitals have child life specialists who will meet with children and do arts and crafts. General art supplies are always needed.
• Movies – Check to see whether they accept DVD or VHS or both.
• Books

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Food Banks:
Search online for a local food bank. Many will have a website that will have a “wish list”. Also some food banks do not have refrigerators, so the items must be nonperishable. Check with your local food bank to verify whether or not they will accept refrigerated items. The following are typical items that are needed and have been found on several wish lists. However, your donations shouldn’t be limited to this list.
• Canned items – Fruit, vegetables, soup, chili
• Rice
• Pasta
• Peanut Butter
• Beans
• Canned Milk
• Cereal
• Bottle Juice
• Tuna/Canned Chicken
• Laundry Soap
• Baby supplies – These are rarely donated and are typically in high demand. This includes diapers, wipes, food, formula, etc.
• Paper or plastic bags to bag the food.
• Bathroom necessities: Toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, lotion, soap, razors, shampoo, toilet paper
• Baking items: Flour, Sugar, seasonings, etc
• Cleaning supplies

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Senior Citizen Homes/Nursing Center
• Diabetic monitoring supplies
• Blankets
• Books
• Depends
• Small prizes for the bingo games/card games that several centers hold as an activity for the seniors. Any HBA item, sugar free candy, or stationary could easily be a nice prize.

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General Organizations Who May Collect Donations:
• Local churches will have outreach programs to service the local community. Some will collect year round, while others will collect for the Thanksgiving/Christmas dinners.
• Service organizations such as boy scouts/girl scouts/etc will hold food drives for local food banks or families as part of their program requirements. Often times they will go door to door collecting the items. The service project will determine the type of item that is collected.
• Watch your local news for drives for local families that may have suddenly lost their homes due to fire. Often donations are collected for the family at a centralized location.
• Local Schools will sometimes hold food drives and will also collect general school supplies for needy families. Contact your local school district to see what they may be in need of or whether they have any food drives planned.
• Local businesses who are involved in the community will often allow drop boxes for charitable organizations. Some that I've seen around my area include Starbucks, Grocery Stores, Pet Kennels/Vets office, and Day Care Centers

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Other Items to Donate:
• Cell phones: An old cell phone can be used by battered women’s shelters. They are re-programmed to only dial 911 in the event of emergency. Sometimes the shelter will accept them and some cell phone service providers will accept them to do the re-programming.
• Eye glasses: Check your local optometrist. Several will collect old frames for charities that will distribute them to seniors or low income families that are in need of eye wear.
• Pop Tabs: McDonalds collects pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House Charity. This charity provides assistance for families of children with serious diseases that require frequent or long term hospitalizations.
• Hearing Aids: Many people need hearing aids and can not afford them. There are several organizations that will collect and re-distribute to needy individuals.
• Large Appliances: If still in working order, some charities will distribute to less fortunate families. Other charities collect the old applainces to refurbish or sell for parts.